TOPIC: FOR WHOM THE HEAVENS OPEN – PART 30 (CASE STUDY OF JOSHUA (PART 17) – “INGRATITUDE, GRATITUDE AND INTEGRITY”)
MINISTERING: PASTOR E.A ADEBOYE
DATE: 19TH NOVEMBER 2023
BIBLE TEXT: JOSHUA 6: 22-25
Let Us Pray!
SONG
We give Glory to the Lord He reigns
We give Glory to the Lord He reigns
He reigns, He reigns, He reigns
We give Glory to the Lord He reigns
OPENING PRAYER
King of Kings and Lord of Lords; we Thank You because You are always on Your Throne and You can never be dethroned.
We Thank You because we have a Father who is sitting and He is in Absolute Control of everything on Earth because Heaven is Your Throne and the Earth Your Footstool.
Please accept our Worship in Jesus Name.
Father, I’m Praying that today that in Your Great Majesty, You will take Control of every situations in the Life of Your Children and put all their Problems under Your feet.
I Pray Lord God Almighty that all those who are listening to us today will sing a New Song even before this Sermon is over.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Well, let Somebody shout Hallelujah – Hallelujah!
Alright, shake hands with one (1) or two (2) People and tell him or her – Your tomorrow is already alright. And then you may Please be seated.
We are moving on to Part 30 in our Series: “For Whom The Heavens Open” – And we will be using Joshua as an illustration.
Also see; extracts-on-christian-stewardship-to-god-part-4-by-pastor-mensah-otabil
And today we are looking at: Joshua 6: 22-25
22. Joshua told the two men who had spied on the land, “Enter the Prostitute’s house and bring out the woman and all who belong to her as you Promised her.”
23. So the young Spies went and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and took them to a Place outside the Israelite Camp.
24. But they burned the City and all that was in it, except for the Silver, Gold, and Bronze and Iron items they put in the Treasury of the Lord’s house.
25. Yet Joshua spared Rahab the Prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her. She lives in Israel to this very day because she hid the Messengers Joshua sent to spy on Jericho.
Last week, we emphasised the importance of “Never Delaying”.
And I’m believing God that He has cured all of us from that terrible Sickness of Delaying.
We must always live as if tomorrow will never come because it may never come – You only have today, tomorrow belongs to God.
I have a Practice and I want you my children to learn from it – After every Convention, I go into hiding not only to rest, but also to Prepare the Program for Next Year’s Convention.
Latest three (3) days after one Convention is over; the Program for the coming Convention is ready.
That’s how urgently you must treat Time – You don’t know what is coming ahead.
Be Prepared – That has been my motto since I became Born Again.
Many of the Tracts that I wrote in those days had the Title: “Be Prepared” Parts 1, 2, 3 etc.
I am hammering this thing again because it must sink into our hearts – We treat Time carelessly.
When I lost my son on a Tuesday and the following Friday People saw me Preaching at the Holy Ghost Service; they were wondering how?
What they didn’t know was that the Holy Ghost Service of that Friday had been recorded a Month before.
I didn’t know what was coming but the Recording was ready – It was during the Coronavirus Period when we were doing everything by Recording.
Be Prepared! You only knows today and only God knows tomorrow.
Don’t even waste Time again; always be in a hurry – That’s the way to be Successful all the time.
So to you my children who are Students – Don’t leave your Revision till when the Examination is at the corner. Always keep Revising constantly and that is how to make First Class.
Today, we have to deal with a woman called Rahab – Do you remembered the Story of Rahab?
When Joshua sent two Spies to go and spy the Promised Land; there was only one Place they could stay in the Promised Land – And it was in the house of the harlot called Rahab. It was an “Open House” and its more or less the Hotel available.
And then, some People noticed that two (2) Spies had come to Town and they were in Rahab’s house,
But Rahab knew that these People represented God and she hid them and Protected them from the Soldiers who came looking for them.
And because she did that, the Men that came to spy Promised her – When we take over this City, we will save you alive. But make sure that you bring everyone belonging to you to come and dwell with you in this house because anybody outside this house, we will kill them. But anyone within this house, we will Preserve.
Also see; rccg-yaya-sunday-school-students-manual-for-sunday-19th-of-november-2023
NOTES: You can get to ready this background Story in Joshua 2: 1-24.
This one is telling us about “Family Salvation” – We will talk about this later on!
Don’t leave your People out in the world – Trouble is coming upon the world and you should know by now.
I told you in those days – Coronavirus is a Forerunner of several other things that are yet to come.
Move on to the side of Jesus Christ now and you won’t fear the Future. And don’t leave any Members of your Household out – Make sure that they are all saved.
In any case, now Israel had taken over Jericho – And Joshua said to the two (2) Spies: Go and get that harlot and get every Members of her family as you Promised!
WHAT ARE THE LESSONS THAT WE MUST LEARN TODAY:
1. BEWARE OF INGRATITUDE
Every Child of God must learn the Big Lesson – Always be Grateful!
Proverbs 17:13 says: If you Reward Good with Evil, then you have Placed yourself under a Curse.
Because it says that anyone who will Reward Good with Evil, Evil will never depart from his house.
Ingratitude is dangerous and that is why we always teach our children that whenever Somebody gives them something, we will say: And what should you say?
We teach our children to say “Thank You”.
In 1 Samuel 15: 1-29; we see that Probably one of the worst offences that anybody could commit is to be Ungrateful to God.
If God had been Good unto you, Please learn to be Grateful and don’t wait until God tell you all that He has done for you.
Because by the time God begins to tell you – I did this for you, I did that for you; you should know that you are already in soup.
God told King Saul – You are small, you are the smallest in your family, you are the smallest in your Tribe and yet I picked you up and I made you King. Is this how you will reward me?
I sent you on an errand and you said that you feared the People more than you feared me – I picked you up and I made you what you are.
And God told him – You are finished!
Don’t wait till the Almighty God begin to remind you of all what He had done for you!
That Song Writer says: Count your Blessings name them one by one. Not only will you see what the Lord had done but it will help you to Praise Him and to appreciate Him more.
NOTES:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
David said in Psalms 103: 1-5 – It says: Bless the Lord Oh my Soul and all that is within me bless His Holy Name. Forget not all His Benefits.
In 2 Samuel 12: 1-14 – When the same David became Big and he forgot that he was a Shepherd Boy and that God brought him to the Throne. And then he went on to commit Adultery and then Murder et cetera et cetera.
And the Man of God came to him and said: You are the Man who did all these Evils.
Even though he repented, God still said that because you did this; the Sword will never depart from your house (DMC NOTES: You can read this in 2 Samuel 12:10).
Be careful of what you are Rewarding God with – He has been Good to you and so learn to be Grateful to God.
Oh, some of you will say: What has He done for me? – The fact that you are still breathing today or as you read now on the Label of DMC; shows that God has been Good to you!
That’s why the Bible says: Let all things that has Breadth Praise Him!
2. THE POWER OF GRATITUDE
Because in this Story, Joshua is saying: Let’s show Gratitude to Rahab.
Gratitude is extremely Powerful as it gives you more than you can ever ask for.
2 Chronicles 1: 6-15 – When Solomon offered a thousand burnt Offerings to God.
He was saying: God, I am Grateful:
– I don’t deserve to be King.
– My Father was an Aldultrer and my mother an Adultrest of the worst type.
And now, you picked me up – The child of this Combination and you made me a King.
And so when the Priest looked at him and they felt – What is wrong with this boy? Nobody had ever given more than seven (7) burnt Offerings before.
By the time his Offerings was reaching a hundred (100); they thought Probably that he has gone crazy.
But he said that you haven’t seen anything yet. And he went on until he got to one thousand (1,000).
Let them call you crazy when you are Praising God; God will react and He will respond.
When God gave him a Blank Cheque, and said: What do you want? And he said that all I want is Wisdom so that I can do the job you have given me,
God said alright. Even what you did not ask for, I will give you.
People wondered why I still dance at least once a year in Agbada (DMC NOTES: “Agbada” is a Flowing Gown) – Singing Ewi (DMC NOTES: “Ewi” is Poetry) to God? – I know where I am coming from.
I am the son of the Second wife. And I didn’t qualify at all
If I were the Saviour, I won’t have saved “Adeboye” – But He saved my Soul.
And there might be one (1) or two (2) of you listening to me now or reading now on the Label of DMC. You might be quite as bad as I used to be and He saved your Soul – Then show Him Gratitude!
Let them look down on you when you are dancing for God; let them say that you are serving Him “Too Much” – Do more, and He will respond!
Afterall, the Elders has a Saying: The child who is Grateful for what was done for him yesterday, will receive more.
And you know the Story in Luke 17: 11-19 – In the case of the ten (10) Lepers who were Cleansed and it was only one (1) who came back to say Thank You Lord!
You could feel the Pain in the Voice of the Lord Jesus Christ when He said: Ten (10) were Cleansed; only one (1) came back to say Thank You. Where are the other nine (9)?
Beloveth Children of God – Be that one that came back to say Thank You!
I have told you before that several times when we were travelling; my Driver will hear me say suddenly: Thank You Jesus! And he will looked back, wondering what had happened.
Things are happening all the time:
– That you are alive is by His Mercy.
– When you are Sleeping, He was the One Standing Guard over you and not the Security People.
– I mean that there are Forces of Darkness that you can’t “Lock Out” but there is God watching over you.
3. THE ISSUE OF INTEGRITY
Integrity simply means when you Promise, you fulfilled it.
… That you let your Yes be Yes and your Nay be Nay (Matthew 5:37).
We are coming back for you – That’s what they told Rahab and they fulfilled their Promise.
Psalms 15: 1-4 says: If you want to enter Heaven, when you swear that you will do something and then you discovered that I made a mistake in swearing; you must still fulfill your Promise.
If you swear to an Oath, you mustn’t Change it.
Ecclesiastes 5:4 says: Pay your Vows. Its an issue of Integrity.
It says that you Promise God that you are going to do something, then do it and don’t delay in doing it because the Bible says God has no Pleasure in Fools.
And then, that God is a Covenant Keeper.
Deuteronomy 7: 9-11 – Talks about Him being a Covenant Keeping God.
… That’s the God we serve.
Jeremiah 1:12 says that He watches over His Words to Perform it.
Numbers 23:19 says God is not a Man that He should lie, neither the Son of Man that He should repent – That is a terrible Testimony about us Human Beings. Once He speaks, He will bring it to Past.
2 Corinthians 1:20 says: His Promises are always Yea and Amen.
He is your Father if you are a Child of God – And like Father like Son. Your Father keeps His Promise and you keep yours as well.
And you know what? If you stay for true to God, if you are a Covenant Keeper like your Father; He will stay true for you:
I. Consider the Story of Joseph in Genesis 39: 1-9.
Joseph was given an Incredible Opportunity to sin – He was not the one looking for a woman to sin; it was the woman who said, sleep with me and Nobody will know. I am the “Big Lady” in this house.
What was it that Joseph said – He said the reason I can’t do this is that I can’t offend God as I must be true to Him.
You know the rest of the Story – Yes he ended up in Prison but at the end of the day, from Prison, he got to the Throne.
II. Consider Daniel in Daniel 1: 1-end.
The reason Daniel said I can’t eat the King’s meat and drink his wine is because I can’t defy myself as I belong to God.
Children of God, you must be different and you must stay true to God in any Land; even in Foreign Land.
You know the rest of the Story – God remained true for Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
– When the Great Trial came and they threw them to the Fiery Fire (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego); the forth Man appeared.
– When they threw Daniel to the Den of Lions, the Almighty God was there.
You know one thing – The Bible says in Romans 3:4: It says that all Men may be Liars but God will remain true.
We are living in a world of Compromising – Refuse to Compromise, refuse to bend the rules and Stand by your Commitment to God!
Joshua said that we are committed to this woman – We Promised her and everybody in her Household and so we must fulfil our Promise.
4. And then, there is something most Interesting about the whole Story:
“Rahab the harlot, they brought her out and she began to live in Israel”.
If you read Matthew 1: 1-16; and you Pay Particular attention to Verse 5 (Matthew 1:5); you will discovered that Rahab was in the Lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know what that is saying? – The One whom you are being Grateful to today, might be waiting somewhere in the Future to solve all your Problems
Rahab was one of those who brought the Saviour into the world.
– How Grateful we should be to Rahab!
– How Grateful should we be to Joshua; a Covenant Keeping Leader.
I believed that you should cry to God today that every Promises you have ever made and broken, that God will remind you so that you can put things right.
And that God will give you the Grace from now on – That whenever you made a Promise, no matter how inconvenient it may be, you will fulfill it.
ALTAR CALL
As for those of you who hasn’t given your Life to Jesus Christ; I want to assure you that Jesus Christ is a Covenant Keeper.
And He said that anyone who comes to me, I will no wise cast out.
Do you know what that means?
No matter how bad you have been, no matter how rotten your Past; if you will come to the Lord Jesus Christ now, His Blood will wash away all your sins, He will save your Soul and He will never turn you back.
So, Please make a Choice now – Come to Jesus Christ as He is Faithful He that has Promised.
If you will come to Him, He will save your Soul and turn everything around for you.
You know what? – You might even end up becoming a Great Preacher for Him and you can become a Great Vessel unto Him.
Please make a Decision now as you Surrender your Life to Jesus Christ.
And so if you will do so; just bow your Head and I will Pray for you. And I will call on Him to save your Soul and He will do so.
Let Us Pray!
PRAYER FOR SALVATION AND CLOSING PRAYER
My Father and my God, You can see all those all over the world who are bowing their Heads now in Surrender to You.
We are asking Lord that You will Please save their Souls and that they will want to serve You from this moment onwards.
Father, Please fulfil Your Promise that whosoever will come unto You that you will no wise cast out.
Please receive them, let Your Blood wipe away all their sins, save their Souls today Lord and make them Brand New Creatures in you.
Receive them into the Family of God Lord and from now on, let everything becomes New for them.
And I Pray that from this moment onwards, whenever they cry unto You, You will answer them by Fire.
I Pray that they will serve You till the very end.
In Jesus Mighty Name we have Prayed – Amen!
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!
Now, I rejoice with those of you who has Surrendered your Life to Jesus Christ today – You know that after that Prayer, you are saved and you are now a Child of the Living God.
And I want you to find out one of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Churches near you – Go and meet the Pastor, tell him that you are now a Child of God and He will tell you what to do next.
God Bless You!
Praise the Lord – Hallelujah!!!
Thank you so much for staying all through to read.